Flint to Vote on Medical Marijuana Ballot Measure

Flint voters will decide next month on a municipal initiative that seeks to exempt qualified patients from local prosecution if they possess and use cannabis under a physician's recommendation.

Sponsored by the Flint Coalition for Compassionate Care, Proposal 1 amends city law so that the possession of cannabis and cannabis paraphernalia by authorized patients would no longer be a criminal offense. Proponents submitted approximately 2,000 signatures from local voters last August to qualify the measure on the 2007 ballot.

"A win in Flint would send a powerful message to Michigan citizens," said Flint Coalition for Compassionate Care co-director Charles Snyder III. Snyder, who uses cannabis medicinally to treat symptoms of Nail Patella Syndrome (NPS), a rare bone disease, added, "Having already won in four major Michigan cities, a win in Flint would help create the momentum and support necessary to put forward a statewide ballot initiative before Michigan voters in 2008."

Ann Arbor, Detroit, Ferndale, and Traverse City have approved similar citizen voter initiatives since 2004.

Flint citizens will vote on the measure on Tuesday, February 27, 2007. THIS IS THE ONLY ITEM ON THE BALLOT, SO MAKE SURE YOU GET TO THE POLLS YOU LAZY POTHEADs!

Arm Yourself With Statistics:
In Michigan in 2005, 29,902 cultivated plants were seized and eradicated at 1,903 separate outdoor plots and 44 indoor growing operations. This included 153 pounds of processed cannabis and 796 pounds of ditchweed. 138 individuals were arrested for growing, and 236 guns were seized. $1.3 million in assets - houses, cars, etc - were also seized . (Source: DEA)
Cannabis is currently ranked as the 5th largest agricultural crop in Michigan, behind corn, soybeans, hay and apples. It earns tens of millions more than wheat, potatoes, sugarbeets or berries.

For more information, please contact Allen St. Pierre, NORML Executive Director, at (202) 483-5500 or visit Michigan NORML online at: http://www.minorml.org. Additional information about the initiative is available on the January 8, 2007 edition of NORML's Daily AudioStash. An MP3 of the show may be downloaded at:
http://audio.norml.org/audio_stash/NORML_Daily_AudioStash_01_08_2007.mp3.